Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that fuel supply problems had created shortages in Russia as Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to continue strikes after Ukrainian drones struck two oil refineries overnight.
Fire erupted at an oil refinery in the southern Krasnodar region and in the Yaroslavl region on Sunday morning, as Kyiv continued energy infrastructure attacks that have caused acute fuel shortages in parts of Russia.
“We continue our operations that weaken Russia’s ability to wage this war. Each of our long-range sanctions means fewer resources serving Russia’s war machine, and another step toward peace,” the Ukrainian president said.
Krasnodar governor Veniamin Kondratiev said that a fire had broken out at the refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, with one person killed and another injured in a nearby village.
The attacks come as Zelensky told Putin to “get out of Ukraine” and “take that step toward peace” after approving a 40-day offensive to “influence” Russia to end the war.
Putin, addressing a meeting of senior officials on fuel supply and distribution, said Russia had to minimise the effects of Ukrainian drone strikes on oil installations linked to the shortages.
Read MoreZelenskyy says Russia is shifting air defenses to Moscow and other key sites after drone strikes
Putin is asking for peace talks. It’s time to kick him while he’s down
The bitter historical feud between Ukraine and Poland amid war against Russia
Key Points
- Zelensky promises more strikes after hitting Russian oil refineries
- Ukraine hits oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai
- How Ukraine’s audacious drone campaign sparked a fuel crisis 3,500km behind enemy lines
- Russia launched 1,400 drones and 1,500 bombs at Ukraine, says Zelensky
- Russia launches overnight strikes on Kyiv, injuring two
In pictures: Rachel Reeves visited Ukraine this week
23:00 , Harriette Boucher
Analysis: Putin is asking for peace talks. It’s time to kick him while he’s down
22:00 , Harriette BoucherPutin is rattled and Trump needs a win – this is the chance for Ukraine and her allies to force the collapse of Russia’s army and push back against its land grab, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley:
Why is Putin asking for Ukraine-Russia peace talks now?
Putin says Russia will press on with front-line campaign regardless of Ukraine proposals
21:26 , Dan HaygarthVladimir Putin said on Sunday that Ukraine had proposed a mutual halt to long-range strikes as a step towards peace but Moscow saw them as a means to distract from Russia's aim of fully capturing four regions in its military campaign.
"It is clear why this proposal is being made, because our counter-strikes deep into Ukrainian territory are much stronger, have greater impact and are, frankly, more destructive," Putin told a Russian television interviewer.
Russia, he said, had no intention of "salvaging the Kyiv regime".
Ukrainian attacks were "aimed at diverting our attention and forces from achieving the main objectives – the complete liberation of Donbas and Novorossiya," a reference to the two regions of the Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
In full: Russia's Putin acknowledges fuel shortages, task force set up to ensure supplies
21:00 , Dan HaygarthVladimir Putin acknowledged on Sunday that fuel supply problems had created shortages in Russian regions and a task force was working on ensuring sufficient quantities were provided throughout the country.
Putin, addressing a meeting of senior officials on fuel supply and distribution, said Russia had to minimise the effects of Ukrainian drone strikes on oil installations linked to the shortages.
He called for measures to ensure supplies for the farm sector and said a ban on diesel exports was under consideration.
"You are well aware that problems for drivers and for businesses persist," Putin told the meeting, according to accounts published by Russian news agencies. "Unfortunately, there are still queues at gas stations too."
He added: "We have to reduce to a minimum the impact of terrorist attacks on our civilian targets and infrastructure."
Ukraine has stepped up medium and long-range attacks on industrial targets in Russia and Russian-controlled territories inside Ukraine, focusing mainly on the oil sector.
Putin said gasoline reserves were being used and now stood at 1.7 million metric tons and that July production levels should exceed those recorded in June. He said a ban on diesel exports, under discussion for some time, was being considered.
"The need to introduce a complete ban on the export of diesel fuel is being considered," he told participants.
Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak had earlier said there was no need for Russia to ban diesel exports, Interfax news agency reported.
A task force on fuel supplies was working round the clock, Putin said, adding the situation required "systemic measures that match the scale of current challenges" to increase supply and keep prices at a reasonable level.
Supplying agriculture, he said, was particularly important.
"We need to make every effort to ensure that all seasonal fuel supply schedules are maintained for agro-industrial enterprises, because the harvest depends on it," Putin said.
Putin says Russia needs more air defence capability, tackling fuel issues
20:55 , Dan Haygarth
Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that Russia needed greater anti-aircraft capacity to confront Ukrainian drone strikes on oil infrastructure, but added that the country was coping well with the problems the attacks had caused.
"The first task is to quickly and significantly ramp up production of those air defence systems that are most needed," Putin said in a Russian television interview.
He said Russia would not allow the Ukrainian strikes to detract from Moscow's plans to advance on the front lines of the more than four-year-old conflict.
"All the strikes, wherever they hit our infrastructure, absolutely do not affect the situation on the front, on the line of combat contact," he said.
At least four killed in Ukraine after Russian attacks, officials say
20:34 , Dan HaygarthRussian attacks killed at least four people on Sunday in Ukraine's southeast and northeast, regional officials said, Reuters reports.
Strikes on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia killed two people and injured 16, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram.
Pictures posted online by the governor showed a building ablaze and parts of a neighborhood reduced to rubble.
In the northeastern border region of Kharkiv, a frequent Russian target, a missile strike on the town of Zmiiv killed one person and injured eight, including two children, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Police in the Kharkiv region also said an officer was killed as he was trying to organise the evacuation of residents in another community further north.
Reuters said it was unable to independently verify accounts from either side.
Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians in the more than four-year-old conflict.
Recap: Drones and artillery killed civilians on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine border
20:00 , Harriette BoucherDrones and artillery killed civilians on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine border yesterday, local officials said.
In the Russian border region of Bryansk, a Ukrainian drone strike killed two people in their car in a village near the border, the region's acting governor Yegor Kovalchuk said on Telegram.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin issued a long series of statements about Ukrainian drones heading for the capital being intercepted. An informal tally kept by Russian news agencies put the number at 24 during the day.
In Ukraine, the governor of the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk Region, Oleksandr Ganzha, said a combined total of more than 40 drone strikes and artillery fire had killed one person and injured one near Nikopol.
The town, lying on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, is a frequent Russian target.
Russia's ruling party runs Ukraine war veteran among lead candidates for September election
19:30 , Dan HaygarthRussia's ruling party on Sunday announced it would run an injured Ukraine war veteran and a television war correspondent, alongside the country's foreign minister and the mayor of Moscow, as lead candidates in a parliamentary election due in September.
Speaking at United Russia's pre-election congress, party chairman and former president Dmitry Medvedev said that Ukraine war veteran Vladislav Golovin and state television war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny would head the party's candidate list.
United Russia has won large majorities in every national Russian election it has contested, though polling shows it is significantly less popular than president Vladimir Putin.
Despite a difficult backdrop of an ongoing war and fuel shortages driven by Ukrainian drone strikes, United Russia is likely to secure a large majority, bolstered by Putin's support and a tame parliamentary opposition that broadly supports the Kremlin's line on Ukraine.
Putin himself won a fresh term as president in 2024, keeping him in office until at least 2030.
Golovin, 29, rose to prominence in state media in 2022 as a naval infantry platoon commander in the battle for the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, during which he was wounded. Reporter Poddubny was also wounded in 2024, during fighting in Russia's Kursk region.
Also among the top five are foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, two of Russia's most prominent and popular officials. Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children's rights, is also included the list.
Though prominent national figures often feature among its candidates, they do not always take up seats in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma.
Putin has repeatedly said that he wants veterans of the Ukraine war to enter politics as Russia's new elite.
Understandings laid out between Russia and US last year are 'dead', says Ukraine
19:00 , Harriette BoucherUkraine’s foreign minister said Russia’s understandings reached with the US in Alaska last year are “dead”.
“The Russians like to talk about the ‘spirit of Anchorage’. As with any spirit, no one truly knows what it is,” he wrote on X.
“But the Russians believe in it, and they think everyone else should as well. The reality makes one thing clear: if the ‘Spirit of Anchorage’ even existed, it is certainly dead now.”
The “Spirit of Anchorage” refers to a set of understandings between the US and Russia that were laid out during a meeting in Alaska last year.
It reportedly includes a request from Russia for the US to apply pressure on Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas.
“For Russia, the lesson of Anchorage is that any peace plan developed without Ukraine is doomed to become a spirit and disappear. Moscow should stop believing in spirits and instead respond to Ukraine’s serious proposals to sit down at the negotiating table and end the war.
“The longer Putin refuses to accept the reality that he will never achieve any goals on the battlefield, the worse things will get for Russia.”
Putin acknowledges fuel shortages, task force set up to ensure supplies
18:57 , Dan HaygarthVladimir Putin acknowledged on Sunday that fuel supply problems had created shortages in Russian regions and a task force was working on ensuring sufficient quantities were provided throughout the country.
Putin, addressing a meeting of senior officials on the situation with fuel distribution, called for measures to ensure the farm sector had sufficient supplies and said a ban on diesel exports was under consideration.
Putin says Russia is going through a difficult period that has taught it a lot - report
18:00 , Harriette BoucherVladimir Putin said Russia is going through a difficult period right now, but it has taught the country a lot.
The comments came while at a conference of the ruling United Russia party ahead of parliamentary elections due for September.
State news agency TASS reported that the Russian leader wished the party, which he previously led, success at the polls.
Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia kills two and injures 16
17:00 , Harriette BoucherA Russian attack has killed two people and injured 16 others in the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Among those injured include a 16-year-old girl and five-year-old boy, who are in critical condition.
Governor Ivan Fedorov said a 53 year old woman was killed along with another person, whose identity is still being established.
Turkey offers to host Russia-Ukraine talks
16:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarTurkey has reiterated its willingness to mediate between Russia and Ukraine and offered to host a new round of talks.
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara was committed to seeing an end to the war through diplomacy. His statement comes just days ahead of the Nato meet, scheduled from 7 July in Ankara.
“We strive for the soonest possible conclusion of Russia’s war against Ukraine through dialogue and on the basis of international law,” Fidan said.
“In this context, I want to declare not only to the parties, as I have already informed them, but also to the global public, that we are ready to bring the delegations of Russia and Ukraine together at the negotiating table in our country once again.”
Russia targeted 15 regions with thousands of drones and bombs this week
15:00 , Harriette BoucherRussia has targeted 15 regions in Ukraine this week, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
He said there had been almost daily attacks on Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Sumy.
“The Russians are using various types of weapons to strike people, ordinary residential buildings, and our civilian infrastructure,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
“Unfortunately, there are casualties from this terror almost every day. And the threat of these Russian attacks remains constant.
“Over the course of this past week alone, there were around 1,400 attack drones, almost 1,500 guided aerial bombs, and 19 missiles of various types, including ballistic ones.”
Russia has suffered more than 1.4M casualties in Ukraine war
14:00 , Harriette BoucherRussia has suffered more than 1.4M casualties since the war in Ukraine broke out, according to Kyiv’s ministry of defence.
It said today that total Russian military losses included 1,400,970 personnel, 12,063 tanks, and 24,844 armoured fighting vehicles.
Another 113,135 vehicle and fuel tanks, 44,920 artillery systems, and 436 aircraft had been destroyed.
Biden accuses Trump of 'destroying Nato' and siding with Putin
13:30 , Harriette BoucherJoe Biden accused Donald Trump of “destroying Nato” and “choosing [Vladimir] Putin over American allies.”
Speaking from a Democratic Party fundraising gala in Maryland on Saturday, the former US president took several jabs at Mr Trump.
He said: “It's not just his deliberate distortion and destruction of NATO and his choosing Putin over American allies or the fact that he's diminished our standing in the eyes of the world more than any president in history has,” Kyiv Independent reported.
President Trump has heavily criticised Nato and threatened to pull out of the alliance over European members’ lack of support in the Iran war.
Zelensky shares video of oil refineries struck in Russia overnight
13:00 , Harriette BoucherMovement limited on road routes to Moscow
12:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarTemporary limits have been placed on movement on some road routes to the Russian capital after the Yaroslavl region came under a drone attack from Ukraine overnight.
Yaroslavl is located about 270km east of Moscow.
Zelensky pledges more strikes following overnight attack on oil refineries
11:56 , Harriette BoucherVolodymyr Zelensky has vowed to continue striking Russia and weaken its ability to wage war.
It comes after Ukraine struck two oil refineries in Russia overnight.
The Ukrainian president said: “Each of our long-range sanctions means fewer resources serving Russia’s war machine, and another step toward peace.
“We will continue to respond to Russian terror. I thank our warriors for these results! I am grateful to everyone who helps us. Everyone who defends Ukraine also upholds the power of the Constitution.”
Ukraine hit the Slavyansk oil refinery in the Krasnodar region was hit, as well as a refinery in the Yaroslavl region.
How Ukraine’s audacious drone campaign sparked a fuel crisis 3,500km behind enemy lines
11:30 , Harriette BoucherJames C. Reynolds reports:
The explosion was so powerful that it sent the huge disc-shaped lid of an oil storage tank flying high above the city on a cushion of black smoke and flame.
Ukrainian drones cut through the Russian air defences last week to strike an oil refinery in Moscow for the second time in three days, amid Kyiv’s largest ever attack on the capital.
The footage quickly travelled around the world as proof of Kyiv’s poise and ability to bring the war in Ukraine back to Vladimir Putin’s doorstep.
The Ukrainians have intensified strikes on refineries, depots and supply routes in recent months, having learned to overwhelm Russia’s defences with a growing arsenal of cutting-edge long-range drones.
Their successes have created debilitating shortages across Russia, from occupied Crimea to the eastern expanses of Siberia, giving Kyiv the upper hand as both sides weigh restarting peace talks.
The Independent looks at how Ukraine has mastered its long-range capabilities to devastating effect:
How Ukraine’s drone campaign sparked a fuel crisis 3,500km behind enemy lines
Russia says it has taken two more southeast Ukrainian villages - report
11:16 , Harriette BoucherRussia's defence ministry said its forces had taken two villages in southeast Ukraine.
It said on Sunday that it had seized the villages of Pysantsi in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region and Novoselivka in the neighbouring Zaporizhzhia region, state news agency TASS reported.
Scottish mercenary fighting for Ukraine goes 'missing'
11:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA Scottish mercenary who has been fighting for Ukraine has been reportedly missing and presumably dead, The Scottish Sun reported.
Stefan Sivers, 35, was fighting against Russia on the frontline in the Kharkiv region, when a Kremlin-supporting channel said he was “destroyed” last month.
It is believed Stefan had travelled to Ukraine to sign up for combat last year.
Officials from the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office say they are in contact with Mr Sivers’ family and described him as missing.
A spokesperson told the Scottish Sun: “We are supporting the family of a British national missing in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities there.”
Putin is asking for peace talks. It’s time to kick him while he’s down
10:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPutin is rattled and Trump needs a win – this is the chance for Ukraine and her allies to force the collapse of Russia’s army and push back against its land grab, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley
More here.
Why is Putin asking for Ukraine-Russia peace talks now?
Serbian president Vucic says he will resign within weeks
10:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarSerbian president Aleksandar Vucic announced he would resign within weeks and the country will hold early presidential and parliamentary elections, following 18 months of anti-government protests.
Serbia is a candidate to join the EU, but Belgrade still has strong ties with Russia and China — a line Vucic has had to walk throughout his time in power.
The announcement by Vucic, who has been in power as president or prime minister for 12 years, came amid persistent anti-corruption demonstrations led by students and triggered by the collapse of an awning at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad in November 2024, in which 16 people died.
"I will be president for only a couple more weeks, and then I will resign," Vucic told throngs of his supporters at a pro-government rally in the capital, Belgrade. Vucic's second and final mandate was due to expire in mid-2027.
Vucic said he would help his Serbian Progressive Party win the presidential election and the early parliamentary vote, also originally set for 2027.
"My proposal is for our list, the winning list in the upcoming elections, to be named 'United Serbia'.”
Slovakia leader says he will not pledge aid to Ukraine
09:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarSlovak prime minister Robert Fico said he opposed Nato's plans to provide large-scale financial and military aid to Ukraine at the Alliance's upcoming summit in Ankara.
He told local media that the Nato proposal was "massive" and that he would hold talks with defence minister Robert Kalinak to ensure Bratislava's delegation attends the summit without a mandate to "involve Slovakia in further military loans or financial contributions".
Fico's remarks came less than two weeks before Nato's annual summit, scheduled to take place in Turkey from 7 July, where Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to attend the meeting.
Rachel Reeves visits Ukraine
09:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Zelensky says Ukraine hit two Russian oil refineries overnight
08:42 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkraine hit two Russian oil refineries in the regions of Krasnodar and Yaroslavl overnight, president Volodymyr Zelensky said this morning.
"We continue our operations that weaken Russia's ability to wage this war," Zelensky wrote on social media.
Ukraine has stepped up its long-range aerial attacks on Russian military industries and energy facilities, aiming to cut Moscow's revenue for the war and make Russians feel the consequences of the invasion, now in its fifth year.
Ukraine hits refinery in Russia's Krasnodar
08:25 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkrainian drones struck Russian targets, including an oil refinery in the southern Krasnodar region overnight, local authorities said, as Kyiv continues energy infrastructure attacks that have caused acute fuel shortages in parts of Russia.
Krasnodar region governor Veniamin Kondratiev this morning said that a fire had broken out at the refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, with one person killed and another injured in a nearby village.
Unverified footage on social media showed a large fire at the refinery.
Slavyansk refinery is a private plant with capacity of about 100,000 barrels per day. It supplies fuel for domestic use and export.
Ukrainian prisoners of war react after a prisoner exchange
08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Recap: Ukraine strikes industrial facility in Russia's Volgograd
07:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkraine struck a major industrial facility in the Russian city of Volgograd, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine has stepped up its long-range aerial attacks on Russian military industries and energy facilities, aiming to cut Moscow's revenue for the war and make Russians feel the consequences of the invasion, now in its fifth year.
Writing on X, Zelensky said that FP-5 Flamingo missiles hit the Titan-Barrikady facility in Volgograd in southwestern Russia, describing it as a "major industrial complex" where Russia "produces artillery systems and specialized military equipment, including components for missile launch systems".
According to Ukraine's General Staff, the facility manufactures equipment for missile systems, including self-propelled launchers and transport-loading vehicles for the Iskander-M missile system, which it said is "the same system Russia regularly uses to strike Ukrainian cities”.
Volgograd governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed an attack on a business in the region's Krasnooktyabrsky district, saying 10 people had been wounded and taken to a hospital. He said production facilities at the site were damaged but did not identify the company.
Drones and artillery killed civilians on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine border
06:50 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarDrones and artillery killed civilians on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine border yesterday, local officials said.
In the Russian border region of Bryansk, a Ukrainian drone strike killed two people in their car in a village near the border, the region's acting governor Yegor Kovalchuk said on Telegram.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin issued a long series of statements about Ukrainian drones heading for the capital being intercepted. An informal tally kept by Russian news agencies put the number at 24 during the day.
In Ukraine, the governor of the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk Region, Oleksandr Ganzha, said a combined total of more than 40 drone strikes and artillery fire had killed one person and injured one near Nikopol.
The town, lying on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, is a frequent Russian target.
Rachel Reeves visits Ukraine
06:10 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Russia launches overnight strikes on Kyiv
05:40 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarRussia launched ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv in the early hours of Sunday, injuring two people and damaging several sites within the city.
Explosions were reported just before 2am local time and later another wave of missiles struck around 2.35am, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Fires were also reported elsewhere in the area, including near a residential building, at a service station, and at an unspecified non-residential building.
Ukraine strikes Russian oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai
05:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA Ukrainian drone attack reportedly set an oil refinery in the Russian city of Slavyansk-na-Kubani on fire.
Photos circulating on social media appear to show large flames rising from storage tanks at the refinery in Krasnodar Krai region.
The regional operational headquarters said the fire was caused by falling debris.
Zelensky says Russia launched 1,400 drones and 1,500 bombs at Ukraine
04:23 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPresident Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Russian forced deployed almost 1,400 attack drones, 1,500 guided aerial bombs, and 19 missiles against Ukraine over the past week.
He said that 15 Ukrainian regions were subjected to Russian attacks in that time, including Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Sumy, which faced the harshest bombardment.
“Using various types of weapons, the Russians are striking people, ordinary residential buildings, and our civilian infrastructure,” Zelensky said
RECAP: Ukraine strikes Russian military plant after approving 40-day offensive
03:00 , Amy-Clare Martin- Ukraine has struck a Russian military plant with Flamingo missiles, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said, after approving a 40-day offensive campaign aimed at influencing Russia to end the ongoing conflict. This decision was made after consultations with the head of the Ukrainian security service, though it is unclear if the offensive has commenced.
- Ukrainian forces also attacked two Russian oil refineries in Ufa, 1,500km from the frontline, and an oil depot in the Krasnodar region, 300km from Ukraine, targeting Russian infrastructure.
In pictures: Aftermath of a Russian drone attack in Sumy
02:00 , Amy-Clare Martin
Ukraine secures return of seven civilians held by Russia for years
01:00 , Amy-Clare MartinUkraine has secured the return of seven civilians who it says have unlawfully detained by Russia for years.
The returned civilians, aged between 35 and 66, were captured during the occupation of Mariupol and parts of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts in 2022, Kyiv Independent reported.
“After years of unlawful detention by Russia, our people are finally home and can breathe free Ukrainian air,” Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said.
Analysis: Putin is asking for peace talks. It’s time to kick him while he’s down
Sunday 28 June 2026 00:00 , Amy-Clare MartinPutin is rattled and Trump needs a win – this is the chance for Ukraine and her allies to force the collapse of Russia’s army and push back against its land grab, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley:
Why is Putin asking for Ukraine-Russia peace talks now?
What is a Flamingo missile and why is Ukraine using them?
Saturday 27 June 2026 23:00 , Amy-Clare Martin- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed Ukraine used domestically-produced FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles to strike a Russian military plant.
- The FP-5 Flamingo missile, which entered service in 2025, has a 3,000km range and can carry a tonne of explosives.
- It is designed for low-altitude flight to avoid detection and has been used for long-range targets deep inside Russian territory, aimed at disrupting their war economy.
Ten wounded in strike, Volgograd governor says
Saturday 27 June 2026 22:00 , Amy-Clare MartinVolgograd’s governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed an attack on a business in the region’s Krasnooktyabrsky district, saying 10 people had been wounded and taken to a hospital. He said production facilities at the site were damaged but did not identify the company.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky claimed they had struck a Russian military plant in Volgograd producing artillery systems and components for missile launch systems.
The said the attack on Saturday used Ukrainian-made long-range Flamingo missiles and caused a fire at the premises of the Titan-Barrikady plant.
Explosions were heard while a fire was seen in the city as authorities issued a missile threat alert for Volgograd, Russian independent outlet Astra reported, citing locals.
Royal Navy shadows Russian warships in UK waters for three months
Saturday 27 June 2026 21:00 , Amy-Clare MartinThe Royal Navy has disclosed it maintained a continuous, three-month surveillance operation on Russian warships navigating UK waters, including a frigate that fired a warning shot at a British yacht.
Five naval vessels were deployed to track the Admiral Grigorovich, the ship involved in the 16 June incident with the Bright Future yacht south of the Isle of Wight.
Read more:
Royal Navy shadows Russian warships in UK waters for three months
Strikes come after Ukraine announced 40-day offensive
Saturday 27 June 2026 20:30 , Amy-Clare MartinThe latest missile attacks on a Russian military plant comes after Volodymyr Zelensky told Vladimir Putin to “get out of Ukraine” and “take that step toward peace” after approving a 40-day offensive to “influence” Russia to end the war.
In a post on X, Zelensky wrote: “Russia must get out of Ukraine with its war – we want no war.
“Ukraine has put forward proposals to our key partners, and Putin’s friends have also heard from us that a meeting is possible and that ending this war is possible. Russia must now take that step toward peace.”
Russia is shifting air defences to Moscow after drone strikes, Zelensky says
Saturday 27 June 2026 20:00 , Amy-Clare MartinUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed Russia is moving air defences to protect key targets like Moscow as Ukrainian drones hit deep inside the country.
Read more:
Zelenskyy says Russia is shifting air defenses to Moscow and other key sites after drone strikes
What has Zelensky said about the strikes?
Saturday 27 June 2026 19:30 , Amy-Clare MartinUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said every Russian defence facility that serves the war is a “just target for our long-range sanctions” in a post on X.
“Last night, FP-5 Flamingo missiles successfully struck the Titan-Barrikady facility in Volgograd,” he added.
“It is a major industrial complex where the enemy produces artillery systems and specialized military equipment, including components for missile launch systems used in attacks against our people.”
Every Russian defense facility that serves the war against Ukraine is a just target for our long-range sanctions.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 27, 2026
Last night, FP-5 Flamingo missiles successfully struck the Titan-Barrikady facility in Volgograd. It is a major industrial complex where the enemy produces artillery… pic.twitter.com/JB5JmRjTAe
Ukraine wants to bring Russia to negotiating table with strikes
Saturday 27 June 2026 19:00 , Amy-Clare MartinUkraine struck a major industrial facility in the Russian city of Volgograd on Saturday, while a Russian drone attack killed a man in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region overnight.
Ukraine has stepped up its long-range aerial attacks on Russian military industries and energy facilities, aiming to cut Moscow’s revenue for the war and make Russians feel the consequences of the invasion, now in its fifth year.
The campaign, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said aims to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, is said to have choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries.
Writing on X, Zelensky said that FP-5 Flamingo missiles hit the Titan-Barrikady facility in Volgograd in southwestern Russia, describing it as a “major industrial complex” where Russia “produces artillery systems and specialized military equipment, including components for missile launch systems.”
Crimea declares 'emergency'
Saturday 27 June 2026 18:29 , Harriette BoucherAuthorities in Russian-annexed Crimea have declared an “emergency situation” in a bid to ease the fallout from increasing Ukrainian aerial attacks on the peninsula.
Friday’s announcement came amid fuel shortages and power cuts triggered by the Ukrainian attacks on logistics chains and oil facilities across Crimea, the rest of Russian-occupied Ukraine and southern Russia.
Kyiv calls its stepped up air attacks fair retribution for Russia’s near-daily barrages on Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying on social media: “We are doing everything to force Russia to end the war and restore justice. And it is Crimea that is at the centre of this policy of ensuring justice.”
Ukrainian strikes
Saturday 27 June 2026 18:01 , Harriette BoucherThe Ukrainian hit on an artillery manufacturing plant in Russian Volgograd Friday night, in another show that Ukraine is ramping up its strikes inside Russia.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian drones struck several targets in and around Moscow, setting an oil refinery on fire and forcing all four of Moscow’s airports to temporarily suspend departures and arrivals.
Ukraine has also taken aim at Russian-occupied Crimea this week, with drones knocking out power in the Russian-occupied peninsula’s largest city, Sevastopol.
Zelensky stresses Russian sanctions after 15 regions targeted this week
Saturday 27 June 2026 17:00 , Harriette BoucherVolodymyr Zelensky has stressed the importance of sanctions on Russia and its partners, saying they must be “enforced where they will be felt most.”
“Strengthening air defence – primarily anti-ballistic protection – expanding cooperation within the Drone Deal format, and increasing pressure on the aggressor are key priorities,” the Ukrainian president said.
“Sanctions on Russia and its partners over this war must be enforced where they will be felt most. We need strong and rapid steps that will force Russia to move toward ending this war.
“Everything that strengthens Ukraine helps bring peace closer. I thank everyone who is helping us.”
It comes after Russia bombarded 15 Ukrainian regions with thousands of drones and bombs this week.
Ukraine secures return of seven civilians held by Russia for years
Saturday 27 June 2026 16:30 , Harriette BoucherUkraine has secured the return of seven civilians who it says have unlawfully detained by Russia for years.
The returned civilians, aged between 35 and 66, were captured during the occupation of Mariupol and parts of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts in 2022, Kyiv Independent reported.
“After years of unlawful detention by Russia, our people are finally home and can breathe free Ukrainian air,” Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said.
In pictures: Aftermath of a Russian drone attack in Sumy
Saturday 27 June 2026 16:00 , Harriette Boucher
Russia targeted 15 regions with thousands of drones and bombs this week
Saturday 27 June 2026 15:30 , Harriette BoucherRussia has targeted 15 regions in Ukraine this week, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
He said there had been almost daily attacks on Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Sumy.
“The Russians are using various types of weapons to strike people, ordinary residential buildings, and our civilian infrastructure,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
“Unfortunately, there are casualties from this terror almost every day. And the threat of these Russian attacks remains constant.
“Over the course of this past week alone, there were around 1,400 attack drones, almost 1,500 guided aerial bombs, and 19 missiles of various types, including ballistic ones.”
ICYMI: Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia and Crimea
Saturday 27 June 2026 15:01 , Amy-Clare MartinUkrainian forces launched one of their largest drone attacks on Russian territory and illegally annexed Crimea, with Russian air defences claiming to intercept 660 unmanned aerial vehicles across 12 regions, the Black Sea, and the Azov Sea during a major overnight assault on Friday.
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Ukraine launches one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia and Crimea
RECAP: Ukraine strikes Russian military plant after approving 40-day offensive
Saturday 27 June 2026 14:30 , Amy-Clare Martin- Ukraine has struck a Russian military plant with Flamingo missiles, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said, after approving a 40-day offensive campaign aimed at influencing Russia to end the ongoing conflict. This decision was made after consultations with the head of the Ukrainian security service, though it is unclear if the offensive has commenced.
- Ukrainian forces also attacked two Russian oil refineries in Ufa, 1,500km from the frontline, and an oil depot in the Krasnodar region, 300km from Ukraine, targeting Russian infrastructure.
